The American Heart Association held its 2008 Scientific Sessions from November 8-12 in New Orleans. The features below highlight just some of the news emerging from the meeting. For more information on these items and other research that was presented, go to http://scientificsessions.americanheart.org/. JUPITER The Particulars: Increased levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) can help predict cardiovascular events. Statins have been proven to lower CRP levels as well as cholesterol. JUPITER (Justification for Use of Statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin) was a large, multinational, long-term, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial intended to evaluate whether healthy individuals with normal LDL cholesterols but elevated CRP levels would benefit from statin therapy (rosuvastatin 20 mg/day). Data Breakdown: Researchers randomly assigned 17,802 healthy men and women with LDL cholesterol levels less than 130 mg/dL and high-sensitivity CRP levels of 2.0mg/L or higher to 20 mg/day of rosuvastatin or placebo. Participants were evaluated for the occurrence of the combined primary end point of myocardial infarction, stroke, arterial revascularization, hospitalization for unstable angina, or death from cardiovascular causes. At 12 months follow-up, the rosuvastatin group showed a decrease in median LDL cholesterol levels from 108 mg/dL to 55 mg/dL. CRP levels decreased from 4.2 mg/L to 2.2 mg/L, and triglyceride levels dropped by 17%. At 1.9 years follow-up, rosuvastatin was associated with a 44% reduction in cardiovascular events when compared with placebo. Take Home Pearl: Use of statin therapy in individuals with low LDL but elevated high-sensitivity CRP significantly reduced the incidence of major cardiovascular events. TIMACS The Particulars: Optimal timing of an invasive strategy is still unknown in the management of...